The latest entry from master storyteller Mamoru Hosoda (WOLF CHILDREN, SUMMER WARS) and Japan’s Studio Chizu (now nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar!) is the sweet, unusually introspective coming-of age animé Mirai, a daringly original story of love passed down through generations.

When four-year-old Kun meets his new baby sister, his world is turned upside down. Named Mirai (meaning “future”), the baby quickly wins the hearts of Kun’s entire family. As his mother returns to work, and his father struggles to run the household, Kun becomes increasingly jealous of baby Mirai… until one day he storms off into the garden, where he encounters strange guests from the past and future – including his sister Mirai, as a teenager. Together, Kun and teenage Mirai go on a journey through time and space, uncovering their family’s incredible story. But why did Mirai come from the future?

It is through these fantasy-filled adventures allow young Kun to change his perspective, and help him become the big brother he was meant to be.

An official selection at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, and the epic capstone of director Mamoru Hosoda’s career, MIRAI is a sumptuous, magical, and emotionally soaring adventure about the ties that bring families together and make us who we are. In addition to being one of Japan’s top ten highest-grossing films of 2018, it has also been nominated for both Golden Globe and Oscars (Best Animated Feature).

“Tempering its flights of fancy with moments of whimsical humour and kid’s-eye realism, this thoughtful treatise on growing pains reveals a realist side of Japanimation that’s all too rarely seen.” (Empire Magazine)

“The simplicity and colorful warmth of Mirai’s animation is underscored by a story with surprising – and deeply affecting – depth and emotional resonance.” (Rotten Tomatoes)

“A hand-drawn miracle.” (The Wrap)

“Tempering its flights of fancy with moments of whimsical humour and kid’s-eye realism, this thoughtful treatise on growing pains reveals a realist side of Japanimation that’s all too rarely seen.” (Empire Magazine)

Sunday, February 3
Doors 12:30 pm | Movie 1:00 pm
*This screening is the English dub, and features the voices of John Cho (Star Trek, Searching), Rebecca Hall (“The Town,” “Christine”), and Daniel Dae Kim (“LOST”, “Hawaii Five-0”, “The Good Doctor”).

*Minors welcome on the main floor! Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and balcony.
**Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.

MIRAI (Mamoru Hosoda, 2018 / 98 mins / PG) A young boy named Kun feels forgotten by his family when his little sister Mirai arrives. Running away from home, Kun stumbles upon a magical garden that serves as a time-traveling gateway where he encounters his mother as a little girl and has a series of adventures with his baby sister who is all grown up, opening a new perspective on his world.